Three teachers of a religious school in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district have been booked by the police under the public safety act (PSA) after some students of this school were found involved in terror indoctrination activities.
Among the alumni of this religious school was Sajad Bhat, the suicide bomber who carried out the Pulwama highway attack in February last year in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed.
Vijay Kumar, IGP (Kashmir zone) told reporters that the school is affiliated to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami organisation.
“We have booked three teachers of this school named Siraj-uloom Imam Sahib. The teachers booked under PSA include Abdul Ahad Bhat, Muhammad Yusuf Wani and Rouf Bhat,” he said on Monday.
Siraj-ul-Uloom, one of the biggest seminaries in south Kashmir, runs a senior secondary school that imparts religious and modern education and is recognised by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education.
“The school has been under our observation and the activities of about half a dozen teachers of this school have been under surveillance.
“Our present action is against individuals, but if need arises we will also act against the school”, the IGP said.
Police says 13 students of this school have joined militant groups after which the entire school came under the scanner of the intelligence agencies.
Students from three districts of Kulgam, Shopian and Anantnag are mostly enrolled in this school.
The stringent PSA empowers the executive to detain a person for a maximum period of 2 years without any judicial intervention.
The school first came under the scanner in 2019 when Sajad Ahmad, one of its former students, was found involved in the car blast at Lethpora — he provided the vehicle for the blast that killed 40 paramilitary personnel. Police said some other students and alumni of the school have also been found involved in militant activities.
“All terrprists are students of one or the other educational institute,” said a senior police officer.